That Bin There
by Teddy R. Lupin
Summary: One of the many possible outcomes of the Series 4 opener, "Partners in Crime." The Doctor decides to follow Donna to "that bin there." AU, Ten/Rose, Reunion!fic.


So! Hai. I know I haven't posted much of anything recently, little one-shots and stuff if that. But I've been in full swing as a roleplayer, the Tenth Doctor and Metacrisis Doctor (Who I call John Noble) being my two main Doctor Who characters. It's epicness, and I've met so many epic people. So a shout-out to you lot, who read this first, and convinced me to post it.

Anyway, I'll get on with this. Basically, a possible ending for the end of Partners in Crime, which was both amazing and frustrating at the same time.

Anything you recognise belongs to the BBC.

Pairings/Characters: Ten/Rose, with a hint of the amazingness that is Donna Noble.

* * *

The Doctor willingly trudged after Donna Noble, the aforementioned ginger-haired woman swinging a pair of car keys from right to left, the ring resting on her finger. His brown eyes followed the glinting metal for a few moments, before he sighed, drawing his hands out of his pockets and making quicker paces in order to catch up with her.

It was a strange thing, really, that he should meet Donna again after all this time. Almost more than a coincidence – and depending on who you ask, depending on what life you lead – maybe it really wasn't a coincidence at all. The Doctor, if asked, wouldn't believe in coincidence. Though sometimes it was easier to simply not overextend your imagination.

He'd once said that Donna wasn't special, wasn't important. But he'd been grieving. After all his time travelling alone, travelling with Martha, and the Year That Never Was, he was beginning to heal. Rose Tyler had stolen both his hearts, and then proceeded to get herself locked in a parallel universe, the only place among the stars that he couldn't reach her. His hearts went with her, and he'd been broken. Now…he was starting to move on, starting to see that there was more out there. He still loved her, and still missed her terribly, and seeing Donna again had reopened some of those closed wounds.

But maybe…with time…

He shook his head distractedly and sighed, as he fell into step with the redhead, hands casually sliding into his pockets again. "Hey, er, Donna – " But he stopped when he realised that she was on her mobile, talking to whom the Doctor assumed could only be her mother.

"…I know, Mum, I saw it. Little fat people."

The Doctor raised an amused eyebrow. Little fat people. When he considered it, that really was the best description of an Adipose. But even so… He could tell, even now, that Donna Noble was brilliant. As for her mother…well…he would reserve judgment. After all, he hadn't thought much of Jackie Tyler, at first. He'd grown to respect and almost love her. Regardless of the slaps she'd tortured him with.

Perhaps he'd deserved them.

"Listen, I've got to go. I'm going to stay with Veena for a bit."

He almost snorted. If Sylvia Noble took that… But even so. He supposed he could drop Donna off as soon as she wanted… Though, maybe…maybe there would be someone in her family worth telling… Sylvia must've mentioned something else daft, because Donna turned and rolled her eyes at him, almost apologising for her mum's half-presence in their wake.

"Yeah, I know. Spaceship," continued Donna, as if the whole thing was old hat for her. Not yet, the Doctor mused, but soon it would be. Spaceships, monsters, aliens and planets…oh yes. "But, I've still got the car keys."

The Doctor's mind turned to their earlier conversation – and he'd even been about to give her a hug, too…

"_You're just a long streak of…nothing," said Donna, "Y'know, alien nothing."_

_The tall, brown-haired man held back a smile and a very uncivilised snort as he nodded his head, clearing his throat. Maybe he was, in fact, a long streak of nothing. "There we are, then," he conceded. "Okay."_

_A smile appeared on the ginger woman's face, her blue eyes lighting up a bit more with each passing moment, the momentary worry from before disappearing into nothingness. "I can come?"_

"_Yeah," agreed the Doctor, "'Course you can, yeah." _

Last time, as he'd mentioned, it had gotten complicated, yes. Martha had somehow expected more of him than he could give. He'd explained, yes, about Rose. Sort of. But somehow, not enough, he supposed. But if Donna's outburst was anything to go by…he didn't have anything to worry about.

_They beamed at each other, and he extended his arms for a hug._

_"I'd love it," he admitted, his smile just growing larger by the second._

"_Ohh, that's just…"_

…_And just as it looked as if she was going to leap and hold on tight, she pulled a small, tinkling object from her right jacket pocket. _

"_Car keys!" she exclaimed suddenly. _

"_What?"_

"_I've still got my mum's car keys! Won't be a minute!" And then Donna Noble rushed down the alleyway, back towards the Adipose Industries building and the ongoing police investigation._

A sudden thought occurred to him – and maybe just a stroke of destiny, of time and space told him to – so he called after her. "Wait a moment, Donna – " And he followed after her.

He listened silently and obligingly, not taking his eyes off his new companion, as she argued a bit with her mother about leaving the car keys in a bin off Brook Street – he supposed that was where they were, hmm…maybe he could do about learning the streets of London, he certainly spent enough time there.

"Oh, stop complaining," said Donna, still speaking into the mobile phone. He could tell, she was getting fed up with the whole conversation now. It wouldn't be much longer, then they'd be on their way. And… The Doctor looked nervously up to the building, and at the plastic that now covered the body of the Matron. He grimaced. The sooner they were out of here, the better. "The car's just down the road a bit. Gotta go. _Really_ got to go. He beamed over at her, and the redhead returned the smile. They were both excited, he knew. "Bye." And she hung up.

"So?"

Donna simply grinned at him in response, leaning over and casually dropping the keys in the small black bin, just as she'd said. "I should tell someone, shouldn't I…" She almost looked at him for confirmation, and he shrugged.

"Yeah, if you like," he said, his hands fisting inside his trouser pockets. His fingers brushed the edge of a paper and what looked like a ball of string, but he contained his curiosity. He'd empty them when he reached the TARDIS. Donna already knew about his dimensionally transcendental pockets, after all. That wouldn't raise any questions. "Er…I'll just wait here, shall I?"

The woman rolled her eyes at him, immediately reaching over, as if on impulse, and tugged his shirtsleeve, pulling him along with her as she headed over towards the group of people standing by, watching the police. The Doctor was now studying his shoes, more interested about the contents of his pockets than anything, hoping that Donna would just hurry this up.

Maybe he was just excited, too.

"Listen, there's this woman that's going to come along," Donna said quickly, to a blond woman. She seemed young, maybe early twenties, and had a sad look about her. Almost defeated. The redhead wondered whether to mention something to her – but then remembered that she was with the man she'd finally found, spent a year looking for. Now she could travel all of time and space. And she didn't want to wait a moment more than she had to. "A tall blond woman called Sylvia. Tell her, 'that bin there.' Right, it'll all make sense. That bin there."

And as Donna reached for his sleeve again, the Doctor's curiosity of who Donna'd been talking to won out. He looked up, and the face he saw…that _face_…that smile, those brown eyes with flecks of gold…

That was a face he thought he'd never,_ ever_ see again.

* * *

Remember to review. This was originally started as a roleplay, but then I realised...oh, I want to write this as a fanfic by myself too. So that's why this is here, at any rate.

Thanks, you lot! It's been brilliant. If I actually write like I think I will, the next bit should be up in a few days. Of course, that also depends on the amount of reviews I get.


End file.
